Her Story

Sarina Bratton founded Orion Expedition Cruises in 2004 with the expedition ship – Orion. In November 2009 she announced plans for a second ship, Orion II to join the company in April 2011. Bratton serves as Managing Director of the company. The high point of a career that has taken her from nationally ranked sportswoman to the first female founder of a shipping line, Bratton has succeeded in creating Australasia’s only world class, five-star expedition cruise line that is rated as a world leader in maritime environmental sustainability.

Bratton is a hands-on business owner with a strong environmental conscience. The exacting standards of Orion I and Orion II’s technical capability and management practices places the ships and the company in the highest regard internationally for sustainable tourism development. Bratton is also recognized for the high level of cultural interaction and conservation initiatives. Orion and its guests access many places where few have had the privilege to visit before.

Orion’s innovative itineraries, which showcase pristine wilderness regions of Australasia have generated significant economic benefit for remote and regional areas of Australia. Orion II will extend these benefits into many remote wilderness areas of the Far East. Orion is Bratton’s second start-up in the cruise industry. She founded her first, Norwegian Capricorn Line, in 1997, in a joint venture between Australian interests and Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line. The company was acquired by Star Cruises in 2000.

Bratton’s cruise experience also includes 14 years with Cunard Line, ultimately as Vice President and General Manager Asia Pacific. Bratton’s business acumen led to several board positions – State Transit Authority (NSW), Australian Maritime Safety Authority (deputy chair), Sydney Paralympic Organizing Committee (Prime Minister’s nominee) and the Australian Trade Commission. She was also a director of Voyages Hotels and Resorts and was the Founding Chair of the International Cruise Council Australia.

In 2008, Bratton was the recipient of the NSW Entrepreneur of the Year award in the services category. In 2006, she was honoured with the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year Award for her entrepreneurship and vision. Also in 2006 she was recognized in the inaugural Australian Travel Innovators Award for “enhancing the way Australians, and the world, travel”. She was awarded the Commonwealth Government’s Centenary Medal in 2003 for her business leadership contributions. She is currently Chairman of Anthology, a new Australian experiential tourism company and a Director of Diving Australia.

Strategies for Success

  1. Never lose sight of your vision.
  2. Success requires extreme effort.
  3. Don’t just do what others expect, then you’ll only ever do what is expected.
  4. Share your vision with your team and ensure they understand and embrace the journey ahead.
  5. Be bold, be creative, be flexible, and enjoy every minute of it.